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I never learned to knit when I was younger. Or crochet, sew, embroider – or any other craft. From the age of seven, I spent all my spare time with ponies.

So, it’s a bit of an embarrassment to find myself at the age of thirty-five being completely clueless about craft. To be honest, it still baffles me how many women of my age do know how to do these things – where did they learn, what did I miss? (Mum, I’m looking at you…) I have decided that I want to learn a craft as part of my 35:35 Challenge, and so that, in time-honoured tradition, I can pass it on to my children

I’ve been trying, through the advice from a mixture of library books, YouTube and some lovely people on Twitter, to learn for myself. One of the biggest stumbling blocks for me appears to be my left-handedness. You see, all the instructions are for right handed people. Even if you do find something that teaches you how to do it left-handed, there is still the issue of following patterns, all of which are written for the right- handers. It’s an irony, given that left handed people are actually supposed to be more creative (something to do with having a dominant right-brain, apparently.)

This is my first attempt at crochet. Don’t laugh. It took half a day, and a LOT of creative swearing, to get this much:

A tiny piece of crochet…

I will persevere with the crochet, but am also pinning high hopes on sewing. I have a one-to-one session booked in with the lovely Abi at Sew You Handmade in January. Looking at some of the beautiful work she creates, if I cannot learn from her, then there is no hope.

If all else fails though, and I have to give up trying to make things, I will teach my children the art of accessorising instead, and pin one of these lovely sparkly letters from Markus Lupfer (at Net A Porter) onto everything I own…

Markus Lupfer sequinned initial brooches

Are they not the cutest bit of sparkle ever? I might buy the letters to spell ‘mummy’. After all, Eve does like me to wear a badge so I don’t forget:

As the weather has turned colder, I’ve started the hunt for the perfect jumper. Which needs to be cosy and yet not make me look like a Yeti. A tall order. On my last trawl around town, I found way too many cropped or short sleeved jumpers. I will NEVER understand the allure of a cropped jumper. I have no idea (beyond the obvious) what my poor stomach has done to deserve being left out in the cold. I also need long sleeves, there is nothing cosy and comforting in cold arms.

Here are a few that fit the bill:

Emma Cook embellished sweater

I love the slim line of this one, the embellishment ( a bit of sparkle!) and, as it’s merino wool, it’ll be wonderfully warm.

Paul and Joe Sister sweater

Again, slim line, long, and embellished. How could you fail to feel happy wearing this one?

J Crew sweater

I don’t subscribe to the view that horizontal stripes necessarily make you look fatter. They do make you look stripy…(this is paraphrased from an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a favourite show from my college years). This one is in a great colour combination and is reassuringly long.

J Crew sweater

Again by J Crew, this cable knit is a classic.

So, that’s my jumper choices sorted out. Now all I need is a fall of snow, a roaring fire, a cashmere blanket and a steaming mug of Pierre Hermé hot chocolate and I will have a winter fit for a fashion shoot.

All items available from Net A Porter and thanks to them for all images.

I spent the day at Burghley International Three Day Event yesterday. This, one of only a handful of four star three day events across the world, is even more influential this year as it forms part of the run up to the London 2012 Olympics for many of the competitors. I will be watching with interest, after Great Britain’s rather disappointing finish at the European Championships in Germany. Having said that, many teams would be thrilled with bronze – we have such high expectations of them after so many years of gold!

Horses have long been a passion of mine, and for many years I basically lived in jodhpurs. Of course, equestrian influences of a rather more elegant nature have long been part of fashion history, particularly with British brands such as Burberry, Paul Smith, and one of my favourites, the sadly lost Luella, but also further afield. After all the Gucci horse-bit is an iconic image of their brand and only a few seasons ago Dolce and Gabbana were influenced by none other than HM Queen Elizabeth in a collection of heritage pieces with silk headscarves. Even in this AW11 season, despite there not being as many overtly equestrian influences making their way along the catwalks, the heritage theme features strongly.

Everything you see here is available to buy from Net A Porter and thank you to them for the beautiful images.

Stella McCartney Cape

Burberry Brit Jeans

Esquivel Boots

Chloe blouse

Gucci Belt

A.P.C. wool tweed jacket

As well as the obvious country tweed hacking jacket and jodhpurs (the J Brand version of which already have a waiting list) I have been inspired by less overt influences from dressage. Elegant black jackets and high necked shirts form the backdrop to this look.

Boy by Band of Outsiders blazer

Yves Saint Laurent necktie blouse

Alexander McQueen draped silk-georgette blouse

Tory Burch silk-georgette blouse

Stella McCartney wool blazer

Whilst being completely on-trend for this AW11, all of these pieces have a beautiful classic quality meaning they would earn their place as a ‘forever’ piece in any wardrobe.